You'll Be Safe Here
by blueroseulan
Summary: A songfic.. Kenshin and Kaoru had surpassed too many things with each other… but can they have the courage to finally admit their feelings?


Fanfic by Blueroseulan

May 22, 2005

A Kenshin/Kaoru fanfic

Rated PG 13

SUMMARY: Entitled "You'll Be Safe Here" A song from the Filipino Rockband RIVERMAYA. Kenshin and Kaoru had surpassed too many things with each other… but can they have the courage to finally admit their feelings?

_Thoughts would be in ITALICS_

_SONG LYRICS would be in **bold**_

_**Author's note: This is a slight AU fic… some of the scenes here had not happened both in the anime and in the manga… those scenes are just figments of my overactive imagination and due to my deathly starvation of KnK waff in the series… ;)**_

EMAIL THE AUTHORESS AT am going to Kyoto…" 

**_Nobody knows_**

_**Just why we're here…**_

_No… _"Kyoto? But that's so faraway…" she trailed off, eyes seeking the sight of the fireflies to hide her tears.

_I know_… "But it's the only way I could stop Shishio… he's a mad man Kaoru… I tell you… he must be stopped or else…" his voice was unusually soft. Not like the tone he used when he bantered with them…Staring at her shaking form, he couldn't help but tremble himself, the melancholy he felt washing over him like a giant wave.

_**Could it be fate?**_

_**Or just random circumstances?**_

She never expected him to hold her, just like he did. Nor did he. It seemed to both of them that he had thrown caution with the wind and allowed himself to show her his weakness. _I never wanted to do this Kaoru… but for your own sake and safety… I must…_

She fell to the ground the moment he released her, not noticing the way he stumbled to take one painstaking step away from her. The emptiness, the numbness and the misery she felt was far too strong, slamming hard on her chest as she collapsed on the wet earth, uncaring if she dirtied her kimono or not.

_He's gone…_

_**At the right place…**_

_Kenshin… I'm coming for you…_She thought, hope filling her eyes as she felt the ship steer away from land. Clutching her bag next to her, she took a glance to a wide-eyed Yahiko who was busy observing the equipment of the newly developed 'steam boat'. _Arigatou Yahiko-kun… If it wasn't for you and Megumi-san… I wouldn't have found the courage to follow him all the way to Kyoto…he belongs with me… beside me… and it will stay that way…_

_**At the right time…**_

_SPLASH!_

The sound of the water bucket spilling on the wet earth reverberated all over the grounds of Master Hiko's cabin and yet, he remained unmoving, seemingly frozen with the sight he saw.

_She's here…_For a while he stood deathly still, not even noticing that the water bucket had rolled it's way down the floor. His mind was only focused on one thing, or rather _person._

"Kaoru?" he asked, uncertainty filling his voice. _What is she doing here? What about Shishio's men? I can't believe she's that stupid to follow me… Does she not know I cannot protect her?_

Slowly, she raised her cerulean eyes to gaze at his amethyst orbs. Asking if he was mad at her, she received an answer that was less than what she had hoped for, but that of which that had been able to relieve her.

"_Half of me am angry that you were stupid enough to follow me in Kyoto. But a bigger part of me knows I desperately need you here." _

_**Two roads intertwine…**_

Fast forward to the Shirobeko at Aoiya. It is now the night before Kenshin would finally face his Bakumatsu successor. Shishio Makoto. Sitting quietly on the roof under the star-spangled Kyoto skies, the flame haired assassin took the time to ponder over certain things that mainly of which consists a raven-haired kendo instructor that lives in the Kamiya dojo.

_**And if the universe conspired**_

_**To meld our lives**_

_I cannot protect her…_he thought with worry and regret. _I would be lying if I told myself that I do not need her here…but if Shishio knew of what I felt for her…no…_closing his eyes, mind reeling back during a time a decade had long since passed, he remembered how Tomoe was used because she had turned out to be _his _weakness…_I can't let that happen again… if anything happens to Kaoru… I don't know… I'd just die… die…_

_**To make us **_

**_Fuel and fire…_**

He really couldn't think of any reason why they could click as a couple. He was almost then years her senior, she was innocent of the terrors, he himself had helped create and their beliefs are still worlds apart. _And yet… I still found the heart to love her…_It was mutualism really… for the rurouni wasn't as stupid as the others would have liked to think. He knew that she felt something for him too. And for her to travel all the way from Tokyo to Kyoto was a feat few women had accomplished for the sake of the men they love most. _That night… when I held her…_Holding her close to him never felt so good. It was like both of them were made for one another. Her body fitting perfectly inside his while still wrapped in the solace of his arms. _How I wish I could hold her again…_

_**Then know wherever you will be…**_

_**So too I shall be…**_

"_Kenshin?" _

Her soft trance-like whisper was enough to break the train of thoughts that had occupied his mind. Smiling gently, he helped her climb the remaining parts of the roof and shifted sideward to create a space for her beside him. Whispering a soft 'Arigatou', she allowed herself to lean back on her elbows, observing the stars that sparkled high above the sky.

"Kenshin, I can't sleep. Can you?" she asked softly, not looking at him. At the corner of her eye, she watched him shake his head and she sighed, now moving to look at him. "It's the battle right?" _of course it is…_

"Hai…" then he hesitated, lowering his gaze as he stuttered to make a coherent question.

"_Kaoru dono, why did you follow me?"_

His question came as a surprise but nevertheless, she felt the bade of tears in her eyes as her lips released a soft answer.

"_I realized that I wanted…needed to be next to you…. Here in Kyoto… the knowledge of having you fight one of the deadliest men in Japan while I only sit and sleep in Tokyo would have driven me mad… I need to be with you Kenshin…"_

_**Close your eyes**_

_**Dry your tears**_

_And I need you too Kaoru…_Nearing her, their distance impossibly close from one another, a hand crept to gently touch her cheek, fingers seeking to dry her tears.

"_Don't cry… Please don't cry… It hurts me to see you cry…"_ he whispered as he finally allowed himself to crush her in a desperate embrace. But she could not stop, her sobs only increasing as she let herself cry, the dam broken, she felt the torrent of emotions flood her heart.

"_I'm scared Kenshin… I'm so scared of what will happen…" _she sobbed, arms tightening on his back, never wanting to let go.

"_Don't be…"_ he answered, a hand moving to touch the gentle fall of her hair. Tenderly, he stroked her face, heart breaking with the tears he saw. _If only… If only I could protect you will I fight him_… "Kaoru… it breaks my heart to know that it would be impossible for me to protect you while I fight Shishio…And it could be one of the reasons why I would still be holding back when and if I still duel with him." He heard her gasp, turn an astonished face towards him.

"_H-hold back? W-will I be holding you back? Am I going to be a burden to you?" _

He saw the unmistakable flash of hurt in her eyes as he racked his brain with an answer that might tell her everything he feels.

"Kaoru…" he started, aware that she dared not return his gaze. "Kaoru…Kaoru look at me." A hand found its way towards her chin as he tilted her face. "Kaoru, remember the first time I saw you in Kyoto in shishou's cabin? You asked me if I was mad at you. I said half of me was." She nodded, allowing him to go on. "That half of me is still angry Kaoru. But not with you…. But at myself. I want to protect you, to be the one who would fight for you… But I know that won't happen. Shishio wouldn't let me sit here in Aoiya. He would fight me, and I would be forced to leave you…_That_ is making me angry… Not protecting you is the one making me want to send you back in Tokyo… back to the Kamiya dojo." He explained to her while he caressed her trembling face. "But… there's a bigger half of me, that is telling me I'd be crazy if I allowed you to go back home. I told you I would be holding back…but I also cannot deliver the succession technique without you." Gasping, she turned surprised eyes towards his thoughtful amethyst ones as she asked what he meant.

"The Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki can only be delivered successfully if your mindset is aligned with the strength and force you push with it. If you no longer have the desire to live…if you don't really care about what will happen to you and is only focused in bringing destruction to your enemy, then, the technique will ultimately fail. And at first I couldn't understand what it mean. _Wouldn't _understand it. But then and there, I realized that I couldn't die… I couldn't Kaoru…for if I did… then no one would protect you… You have become my source of life since the day I met you."

_**When everything's unclear**_

_**You'll be safe here**_

_And you saved me from a life of loneliness Kenshin…_She gasped as he held her close, head slowly descending towards hers as he hesitated to give her a kiss. Reaching for him as a sign of approval, his lips met hers. Soft and gentle, coaxing and encouraging, he taught her how to respond, arms bringing itself down to her waist as hers clung on his neck. For both of them, time had stopped, allowing them to be caught in its grasp as they strayed on their own world. Nothing else mattered. Nothing, not even Shishio and his gang could be likely to stop them now. Their kiss, primitive and first as it was, was an epitome that nothing else could stop them from loving one another.

_**From the sheer weight of your doubts and fears**_

_**Weary heart…**_

_Is he still… alive…? _Shock registered on her senses as the outline of three men came into her view. The man with a thick overcoat, she knew must be Aoshi. The other with a lanky built and hair sticking out was Sanosuke. _And Kenshin…_too weak as he was, Sanosuke half dragged, half carried him. For a while she stood there…. Even from afar, she could see his wounds, his form, bloody and beaten and his clothes reduced to mere rags.

"AOSHI!"

Misao's cry was enough to snap her out of her trance-like state. _Kenshin…_Her voice was low, as her feet wouldn't run. Could only budge a few steps. _Kenshin…_Her heart began to beat wildly on her chest. _Kenshin…_and finally, a spurt of speed bursting on her form, she ran towards the fallen swordsman, crying out his name in despair when she reached him.

_Let me take care of him…_It was plainly written on her eyes, evident on her face as she threw Sano a pleading look. Nodding in understanding, he shifted the man on her shoulder, watching as she tenderly cradled the man on her own arms, tears falling to splatter on his own face.

_Kami… he's so bloody… and his wounds… oh gods… please let him live..._ Her hand, trembling as it was, freely touched his face. Fingers running on his hair as she fought the urge to just cry. _Kenshin… what did they do to you? You promised me… you wouldn't get hurt… _She held him close to her heart. Wanting to feel the beating of his against her own.

_You protected me…And in return… I will also protect you… from the darkness and the confusion that have spread on your mind… You're safe now Kenshin… Safe now… here with me…._

_**You'll be safe here…**_

The room was dark and quiet, untouched by the clatter of noises that was happening downstairs. It had already been days since the three men had comeback from Shishio's hide out. Everyone seemed well, what with Megumi's utter care for everybody. Sanosuke was back to his own boisterous attitude—minus the hand he had severely broken when he tried to fight Shishio. Aoshi was well… but rarely did they get to see him, for he had himself enclosed in a temple. And Kenshin…

_Kenshin…_She sighed his name as she let down the tray she was carrying on the floor. _Megumi-san told me that it was important that I let him sleep… He needs his rest… But I want to see him… Want to see his amethyst eyes gaze at me… _Kneeling beside him, she settled his face on her lap, blushing with their compromising position as she allowed herself to feed him. _Open your eyes for me Kenshin…_

_**Remember how we laughed **_

_**Until we cried?**_

"There… all finished now…" she declared as she set him back on the futon. _Megumi-san told me that even though his eyes are still closed… he could still hear us…_ "You know… the rebuilding of the Aoiya is going well." She started as she sat beside him, covering his hand with hers. "Misao and Yahiko usually fight a lot and even Megumi and Sanosuke too." She giggled slightly, remembering the petty fights the two most likely were to have. "Yes. Megumi-san is here Kenshin. She was the one who stitched your wounds. She's a great doctor." Her tone carried a hint of slight envy, jealousy with the thought that she wasn't the one who could heal the man she loved. "_I envy her…"_ she whispered to no one in particular. Forgetting the fact that someone could might as well hear her. "_She's so brilliant Kenshin… while she did your wounds… healed you… all I can do was to watch and help with whatever things I can like boiling water… handing her towels… just the simple things you know?"_ a sob escaped her lips, followed by a soft cry, and soon, she was weeping, not only because of her jealousy, but because of the weight of things crashing on her.

"_Open your eyes Kenshin… Please open your eyes and live… I just cannot do this anymore…" _

_**At the most stupid thing**_

_**Like we was so high…**_

**_Where am I…? What am I doing here? Itai… my head hurts…wait… someone is crying…_**

"_I envy her…" she whispered to no one in particular. Forgetting the fact that someone could might as well hear her. "She's so brilliant Kenshin… while she did your wounds… healed you… all I can do was to watch and help with whatever things I can like boiling water… handing her towels… just the simple things you know?" a sob escaped her lips, followed by a soft cry, and soon, she was weeping, not only because of her jealousy, but because of the weight of things crashing on her._

_**Kaoru… Kaoru… My dear sweet Kaoru… why are you saying those words? Don't you know that it was you who had rescued me? Without your face… without your voice… I would have succumbed in the dark abyss of death Shishio had given me… **_

"_Open your eyes Kenshin… Please open your eyes and live… I just cannot do this anymore… "_

Blackness, it was all he could see. But as he heard her words, he fought the nausea and the waves of pain that were sent crashing on to his bleak consciousness. _I have to wake up… for Kaoru…_

Her shoulders were trembling as she shook with the tension and stress that had found its way on her system. Ever since they had come back, she couldn't eat or sleep well. Her mind was only focused in one person and that was Kenshin. She was beside him at all times, when she wasn't helping with the rebuilding of the Aoiya. And by taking care of the man she loved most, she had neglected to take care of herself.

Now, everything had come crashing on to her. The pain, the fatigue, the knowledge that he might very well die… she wept, tears continually falling freely down her face as her long raven locks tumbled on to her shoulders. Grasping his hand and pressing it dearly to her heart, she was so occupied with her thoughts that she didn't notice that he was squeezing her hand back. When she _did_, she almost released it instantly, a gasp escaping her lips.

"_KENSHIN!"_

And in response, his eyes slowly opened.

_**But love was all that we were on.**_

_**We belong…**_

"_Kenshin… should I go and tell the others?_ " she asked, voice soft even as she tried to control the sudden burst of euphoria in her chest. Closing his eyes, it took him all the force he could muster just to roll his head slightly in a clear indication that he didn't want to. _No… it's too soon… too soon… I only want to be with my Kaoru…That's all… the rest… they would have to wait… _Slowly, he held her hand with his and gently pressed her palm on his lips.

_Kenshin…_she shuddered; eyes fluttering close as tears ran down her cheeks. Deliberately, she felt his fingers touch her skin as he traced away her tears, just to succeed in making her cry even more._ It's been… forever… since he last held me…. Since he wiped away my tears… oh god… Kenshin…_

He frowned upon seeing the films of water fill her eyes. _No… Kaoru… don't cry… I don't deserve you tears…_

"_I…"I'm sorry... For…making... you worry…"_ he murmured, voice so soft and tired. And even in his urge to fight sleep, he felt her shake her head as her hands cradled his face. Gazing at her face, he drank her beauty even in the night, thanking the gods, for once, for making him her see her again. _Kaoru… I want to be with you… but my body is really tired… I feel so sleepy…ororo! _The desire to be with her was the force that had driven him to shift his body slightly, creating a space on the futon. Eyes widening, it had dawned on her that he wanted her to lie beside him. At once, sleep almost seemed to fog her mind and the thought of resting in the arms of the man she loved most was far more appealing than having to stay up for the rest of the night. So slowly, giving up on the restraints of sleep, she lowered her body on the futon. Sighing with contentment when she felt his arms wrap protectively on her waist, she felt herself slip into the gentle cradles of sleep.

_**And though the world would never understand**_

_**This unlikely union**_

"Oi Jou-chan, don't starve yourself up there. Go dow—" his words were blocked off, when a sight met his eyes.

There in the room lay a peacefully-sleeping Kaoru, face buried in the crook of Kenshin's neck while the said man's arms were wrapped tightly and protectively on her waist.

Jaws dropping widely before forming into a huge grin, his mind only thought of one thing.

_They deserve this happiness._

_**Someday we will be set free**_

_**Pray and believe…**_

Both their feet had unwillingly seemed to pause at the same spot. Turning to gaze at the river, it was he who first spoke.

"I remember the time I had to leave you… It was on this very same spot right?" he watched her from the corner of his eyes grow uneasy. "It was one of the most terrifying moments in my life, showing you how weak I have become. You have been my weakness Kaoru… and that was why I had been so adamant to leave you…"

She nodded, understanding spreading on her chest. "I know Kenshin… but that would now be buried in our past right?" she smiled, though her words seeked to assure herself rather than him. He nodded, and she flashed him a smile that almost took his breath. "From now on, you don't have to be afraid Kenshin… for there will always be people that are willing to help you… and love you… you have a family now Kenshin… Welcome home…"

_**When the light disappears**_

**_And when this world's insincere…_**

_**You'll be safe here…**_

_**When nobody hears you scream**_

_**I'll scream with you…**_

_**You'll be safe here…**_

_He's blind…_

The fact never ceased to terrify her.

It seemed that she was more scared of what might happen than him. _Shogo is one person that might kill him… their succession techniques are almost the same… and he's blind…_the thought of having him killed was one thing that almost made her cry.

"_I don't worry about my fight with Shogo… what I worry about is removing that sadness on your face and replacing it with a smile…"_

His words offered her great comfort as she lay beside him in the dark. The floor was cold, for the hut they had found reeked with old age and was erstwhile. It was shabby, it was old, and yet, she was eternally grateful for it, for it had been enough to give them shelter while she helped nurse Kenshin back to his health. She shifted closer to him when she felt the wind pick up speed, feeling his arms on her tighten. Over the time, their relationship had finally taken another step. After having her traumatized with his sudden absence when he left for Kyoto, he vowed to never leave her side again and thus had silently admitted his love for the kendo instructor. She smiled with the thought. She had already slept with him more than twice. But that was only sleep. A time when she lay beside him, marveling on the feel of his arms when he spooned her body next to his. They had done nothing else. It had stopped there, and both were grateful for that.

_I wonder… does he see me now? _She thought as she gazed on his closed eyes, a hand skimming to touch his face. _Nevertheless, _her mind smiled, _even if he does not, I do and I will protect him… in any way I can… The light has escaped his eyes… and I know he is having a harder time than what I'd like to think of… But… I promise to protect him… from his enemies… both real and just figments of imagination… that's how strong my love is for him… Kenshin…. I may be weak… but I promise you that I will protect you… You'll be safe here with me…_

_**Save your eyes… from your tears**_

_**And when nothing seems clear…**_

_**You'll be safe here…**_

_No… _

The bodies of the dead seemed to wake up, rise from the hidden earth and find their way towards him. Chanting his name in satanic choruses, they demanded their lives back… lives which he had taken and lives which he cannot anymore return…

_No…_

_Battousai…_

_No…_

_Killer…_

_No.._

"_**KENSHIN SNAP OUT OF IT!"**_

A strong force had pushed him, making him stumble to the ground as a light weight settled atop him. It had inevitably shaken him out of his stupor, the dead bodies his mind had seemed to produce disappearing in a cold graying mist. For a while he was confused, but when he saw the body that had covered his, he soon realized why.

_Kaoru…_

_NO!_

She had taken the blow for him, having been knocked off her feet by the poison itself. As shock registered on his senses, he caught her smile, even as tears ran down her rain-matted cheeks as a sign on how much in pain she really was.

_**Save your eyes…**_

**_From your tears…_**

_I am glad… that… in some way… I have protected… the man… I love…_

Tension, anger, regret and madness all boiled down to one emotion while he desperately clutched her hand as Megumi checked Kaoru's body for further damage.

"_The poison is quickly spreading onto her body. It must be stopped or else…"_ the lady doctor had stopped there, not wanting to continue. Helpless amethyst eyes peered over the woman lying on the futon. She was enveloped in a high fever, sweat beading her forehead as her breath came in quick raspy pants.

**_From the sheer weight _**

_**Of your doubts and fears**_

**_Wounded heart…_**

_I'm coming Kaoru… Wait for me…wait for me!_

Anxiously, he handed the healing water into the hands of the doctor, tension growing as he watched her tip the clear liquid into the sick woman's quivering lips, allowing the cool liquid to slide into Kaoru's parched throat. For a while, nothing happened, and it almost convinced the man that all his efforts were futile. But only after hours had passed, did Kaoru's condition grow better. Her fever was reduced into a mere temperature and her breathing was now calmed, not erratic just as it had been before.

_Finally… she is safe…_

_**In my arms…**_

_**Through the long cold night…**_

Her sobs had been enough to rouse him from the light sleep he had. Brows quickly knitting into a frown, he exited the chambers of his room to find her seated at the porch, shoulders haunched as she shook with her sobs.

Even with that disposition, she still took his breath away.

The moon was gracious enough to lend its light to illuminate her form. Even then, she was breath taking. Jet black locks contrasting the paleness of her skin and even her kimono seemed to glow mysteriously in the dark.

She almost seemed perfect.

Almost.

"Kaoru-dono?"

Gasping was an understatement since she nearly fell off the porch with her fright. Hastily wiping her tears away, she attempted to smile, tried to ask him why he was up so late, and yet succeeded in only making small pitiful gasps. Feeling his heart clench with the sight of her tears, he neared her and asked her the reason of her distress. She merely shook her head, her sobs just growing louder. He asked once again, and got the same reaction. Desperation gripped his mind. _Something had hurt her… terribly… _Not knowing what else to do, he only did the first thing that registered on his mind.

He held her.

His embrace was warm and comforting. Allowing her to cry while her hand fisted on the material of his gi, he ran his palm on the small of her back, murmuring words of comfort and asking why was she crying. For a moment he could not make out her words. Sobs garbling any coherent thoughts she wanted to voice out. But after awhile, he finally heard her small voice, even so muffled at his chest.

"_Why? Why? Why can't I be like her…? Why? Why is she so perfect?" _Alarm spread on his mind as he registered the words she had just said. _So… someone had hurt her… not something… but who? Megumi-san? Misao-dono? _He allowed her to cry while his brain racked for an answer. Finally, when the storm had passed, he faced her, flinching slightly when he saw her red rimmed eyes.

"Kaoru… "

His voice, soft and yet firm told her that there was no escaping his questions. Sooner or later she would have to answer them, even if she didn't want to.

"_Megumi-san told me…" _she started, deciding to look away to avoid his burning gaze. "_That I should stop dreaming… dreams are for little girls… and I'm not little anymore… I am a woman "_she said decisively as if wanting to prove something. Amethyst eyes widening with her words, he was more than confused. _What is she saying?_ Seeing his confused look, she attempted to smile, In order to lighten the situation, and yet she failed, her lips only curving into a twisted frown.

"_I could never be like her… I realized that after Megumi-san talked to me… She was someone so sweet… so refined… so beautiful… She could cook…I could never be like her…" _she concluded. Admitting bitter defeat to her tears and bowing her head in an effort to at least hide them.

Realization and understanding dawned on him as his eyes widened and he released her from his grasp. _Tomoe… she's talking about Tomoe…_

She bit back a sob. _Even Kenshin doesn't want me anymore…_

"She's right."

She flinched with his words, shock and pain shooting down her senses. His words were soft, and yet they were cruel. Regretful and yet bitter. Tears filled her eyes to spill on her cheeks.

"Megumi-san was right on that point. Tomoe could never be replaced in my heart."

She gasped, unbelieving how cruel he could be to drive his point harder in her heart. The pain was too much, all to consuming that she found herself moving away from him, standing up and turning to flee towards her room.

"_It's all right… I understand… she was your wife… I understand Kenshin… just let this go…" _she pleaded when she felt his strong arms grasp her fleeing form. "Kaoru… Kaoru…listen to me! Listen to me… I'm not finished yet." Despondency gripped his voice when he felt her fight his touch, forcing him to imprison her wrists in a tight and firm hold. But even so she fought him, tried to strike him back in a futile attempt to create distance between their bodies.

"_Let me go… please let me go…"_ she sobbed, while moving away her face when his fingers tried to skim on her tear-laden cheeks.

"No… I won't let you go until I finish telling you everything." He declared with a firm voice.

"What is there left to say! What else do you want to tell me Kenshin! You told me Tomoe-san is irreplaceable in your heart. That Megumi was right. What else Kenshin? Are you also going to tell me, that what I've so long thought that we have this 'connection' going on between us is merely a crappy piece of shit! Is that it Kenshin! Are you going to tell me that I'm just a toy you used?" She was hysterical, he could tell, for her breath was ragged and her words were garbled. She was a pitiful sight really and he could feel his heart aching for her touch.

_No…That's not it… you don't understand…_

His lips were hard and crushing as he pushed her in the farther corner of the room. Hot, and possessive, it was the only way he could think about on how to penetrate the barrier of her thoughts. She tried to push him, even as her mind was slowly being clouded with hazy oblivion, and he did not allow her to do so, pressing his lips roughly against hers as his arms tightly held her waist.

"_You're wrong… so goddamned wrong…"_ he whispered in her ear, voice thick with emotions. Any response she had in mind was ruffled under another soul-searing kiss.

"_You didn't let me finish… And that's why you're wrong." _He slightly berated, allowing her to feel the irritation he felt with her sudden judgment. _"I told you Tomoe couldn't be replaced in my heart, for she is part of my past. She was my wife. How could I hide that? She was beautiful… she was graceful… she was more elegant than you… demo, " _he paused, tilting her chin with slender fingers, _"I didn't say that I love her more than you… You're nothing compared to her… and that's why I love you so much… you're different Kaoru… you're unlike most women I've met. Instead of learning how to hold a fan just like girls are most likely to do, you learned how to wield a sword. Instead of studying culinary skills… you taught yourself kendo. Something that has proven more effective and efficient with the life you chose with me. Tomoe is part of my past… that's why no matter how hard I try to put it behind me, everything about her still haunts me… But, I still have the present and the future to look up to… and I don't want to share that with her… I want to share the remaining of my days with the woman I love…Not with the woman I choose to remember… I want to share everything with you Kaoru…"_

_**Through the long cold night sleep tight…**_

_**You'll be safe here…**_

She sighed against his lips when she felt it pressed against hers. _And I want to spend forever with you Kenshin…_ "I'm sorry…" she whispered, tears threatening to fall once again. _"I doubted you… I questioned you… And that makes it worst.._" she sobbed against his shoulder when she felt him embrace her form.

_It's alright Kaoru… I understand…_

_**When no one understands…**_

_**I'll believe…**_

"_It's alright Kaoru… ssshh… don't cry… It's also my fault you know? If I have told you earlier how I felt about … us… then you wouldn't be hurting so much now… Please don't cry…" _He murmured gently as his fingers scanned the softness of her face. Finally, a small smile blossomed in her lips, lighting up her face. Both only seemed to concede on one thing. Thoughts uniting as one. _No matter what the world says… even if everyone disapproves… even if we both don't deserve this… we don't care… just as long we love one another… that's what's important… that's what matters… just as long as we both love one another…_

_**You'll be safe…**_

"_Kaoru… I know it's a little bit off the timing… and a little too early… but I feel that time is not important anymore… with everything we have surpassed from Shishio, to Shogo… everything… "_

**_You'll be safe…_**

She gasped, mind spinning as her heart rammed painfully against her chest. _Am I thinking right? Is he…? Is he…?_

**_You'll be safe…_**

"_Marry me Kaoru…"_

_**You'll be safe here…**_

_Yes…_Gasping, she felt him tremble as she stood still and unmoving. Finally dawning on her that he might be taking her silence as a no, shyly, she held his lavender gaze with her own indigo ones and gave her whispered answer.

"_Yes… I'll marry you Kenshin…" _

_**Put your heart in my hands…**_

"_Yes… I'll marry you Kenshin…" _

Upon her words, he felt something akin to euphoria and disbelief burst into his chest. _She agreed! She'll have me! She'll have me!_ Pure male satisfaction ran through his mind as he crushed her form under his, their lips melding as one. That night held everything for them. For it was the start of their lives together. Their lives not only as lovers, not only as the best of friends, But also as both man and wife.

_Finally…we could be together… this was what we wanted in the first place… to be together…_

_At last… happiness has found its way in our hearts…_

For someone, this part must have seemed the ending. The conclusion of a narrative my mind was active enough to conjure. But for me, and for the others who have known the lives of Kenshin and Kaoru enough, we all know this story is just the beginning…

_**You'll be safe here…**_

_**OWARI**_


End file.
